The biggest story in the UFC remains Alistair Overeem’s positive test for elevated testosterone levels ahead of his scheduled UFC 146 challenge for Junior dos Santos’ heavyweight title. When news first broke of Overeem’s test, UFC president Dana White described himself as “beyond pissed” and said anyone getting caught using banned substances is a “brain-dead dummy.”
Related: Overeem Tests Positive For Elevated Testosterone Levels | Dana Responds To Overeem’s Failed Drug Test | Is A Million Dollar Program The Solution For The UFC’s PED Problem?
Dana has been quiet on the Overeem front since that point, seeming to have decided it was for the best to not lose his mind in public. In fact, that’s exactly what White told reporters at the press conference for UFC on Fuel TV 2 (via MMA Fighting):
“I will snap and freak out and I don’t want to do that,” White told reporters following the conclusion of the press conference. “I don’t want to talk about it. I’m too upset about it. Seriously, I can’t talk about it.”
…
“Everybody gets due process,” White said. “Alistair Overeem will have his due process with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. We’ll see what happens and we’ll go from there. When it all goes down, somebody else will speak about this. Not me.”
I can’t imagine, having read this, that they’re still fully interested in allowing Overeem to remain in the main event.
This seems more like a “we need to let things run their course and then we’ll react.”
And, given Dana and the UFC’s bragging about how serious testing is for their athletes, it’s very hard to imagine that they’d be willing to risk the image they’re attempting to cultivate by giving a guy who popped for such high levels a title shot. But who knows, maybe they’re comfortable with doing it if Alistair and his lawyer are able to find the right loophole to get his license.
Related: Can Alistair Overeem Still Get Licensed? | Alistair Overeem Situation Continues To Spiral Into Nonsense
It’s very interesting to see Dana say that he isn’t going to be the one to talk about the situation. It’s the first time I can remember that he voluntarily took a backseat to someone else due to being worried that he is too upset and will say the wrong thing.
The one thing that is clear, Dana is still upset, even if it’s clear that Overeem is putting together some sort of plan to try to get his license anyway.
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